traffic

"Occasionally we get these really spectacular accidents or crashes involving fire out on the Turnpike," Capt. Stephen Jones of the New Jersey State Police said. "It's just a coincidence when you get a couple of them close together."

LISTEN: NJ 101.5's livestream, with updates as they comeUPDATE: Despite crashes, Turnpike among U.S.'s safest roadsTraffic was a mess on the New Jersey Turnpike North just south of Exit 9 Wednesday night, after two tractor-trailers collided, causing a series of fiery explosions.

As New Jerseyans and others hit the road for the Jersey shore, the state Department of Transportation (DOT) has suspended work on all non-essential projects on weekends from now until the middle of September in an effort to keep the traffic moving.